02 July 2007By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Cambodian border officials based on top of the Preah Vihear temple mountain said that dissension between Cambodian and Thai border defense troops still lingers, and that the black-clad Thai soldiers based in Thailand’s Sisaket province still continue to prevent tourists from crossing over to visit the temple, and merchants are not allowed to bring food in to sell in Cambodia.
Sat Sam Ay, the deputy border gate police chief, said on Monday 02 July morning that the Thai soldiers plan to hold a discussion meeting with Cambodian border troop, but that the Thai soldiers still continue to prevent tourists from crossing the border.
Sat Sam Ay said: “Normally they would come over to the gate at 8:00 AM to unlock it everyday, but in the last few days, when Cambodians showed up to cross the border, they do not allow them. Yesterday, they (Thai soldiers) came over to propose that we meet them, but at our gate, we did not commit anything wrong, so we told them to come and meet us at our office at the border gate, but up to now, nobody shows up yet.”
Cambodian people living on top of the mountain said that because of the closing of the border gate by the Thai soldiers, they also prevented the import of food staples into Cambodia, and that now, local Cambodian people are facing food shortage.
A local villager said: “It’s been three days now that they (Thai soldiers) do not allow those who used to bring in foods to sell to us. We have food and rice shortage during the closing because we did not stock them, so now we have to bring them from the bottom of the mountain (on the Cambodian side).”
A Cambodian border defense official said that Thai soldiers started to prevent tourists from coming to visit Preah Vihear temple since 29 June, right after a meeting between the Cambodian and Thai border troop commanders held at the top of the mountain. During the meeting, Cambodian border defense troop tightened the access rule to the temple and said that uniformed Thai soldiers are not allowed access into the temple perimeter.
On Monday morning, RFA attempted to reach the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, but clerks at the embassy said that Thai embassy officials are busy with meetings.
On 30 June, the Thai Khav Sut newspaper quoted Colonel Thanya Keatisan, the commander of the black-clad Thai soldiers based on Kantharalak district, Sisaket province, claiming that Thai soldiers did not close the gate, and that they only told visiting tourists to be careful.
Khieu Sopheak, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior, said that the Cambodian government does not want to see these incidents. Khieu Sopheak added that the goal of the government is to turn the border into one of cooperation between the two countries.
Khieu Sopheak said: “What we want is a Cambodian border zone of cooperation.”
On Sunday, Var Kim Hong, president of the Cambodian government committee for resolution of border disputes, considered that these are minor issues, and he asked that Cambodian officials based in Preah Vihear and the Cambodian border authority resolve this issue with understanding with their Thai counterparts.
Sat Sam Ay, the deputy border gate police chief, said on Monday 02 July morning that the Thai soldiers plan to hold a discussion meeting with Cambodian border troop, but that the Thai soldiers still continue to prevent tourists from crossing the border.
Sat Sam Ay said: “Normally they would come over to the gate at 8:00 AM to unlock it everyday, but in the last few days, when Cambodians showed up to cross the border, they do not allow them. Yesterday, they (Thai soldiers) came over to propose that we meet them, but at our gate, we did not commit anything wrong, so we told them to come and meet us at our office at the border gate, but up to now, nobody shows up yet.”
Cambodian people living on top of the mountain said that because of the closing of the border gate by the Thai soldiers, they also prevented the import of food staples into Cambodia, and that now, local Cambodian people are facing food shortage.
A local villager said: “It’s been three days now that they (Thai soldiers) do not allow those who used to bring in foods to sell to us. We have food and rice shortage during the closing because we did not stock them, so now we have to bring them from the bottom of the mountain (on the Cambodian side).”
A Cambodian border defense official said that Thai soldiers started to prevent tourists from coming to visit Preah Vihear temple since 29 June, right after a meeting between the Cambodian and Thai border troop commanders held at the top of the mountain. During the meeting, Cambodian border defense troop tightened the access rule to the temple and said that uniformed Thai soldiers are not allowed access into the temple perimeter.
On Monday morning, RFA attempted to reach the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, but clerks at the embassy said that Thai embassy officials are busy with meetings.
On 30 June, the Thai Khav Sut newspaper quoted Colonel Thanya Keatisan, the commander of the black-clad Thai soldiers based on Kantharalak district, Sisaket province, claiming that Thai soldiers did not close the gate, and that they only told visiting tourists to be careful.
Khieu Sopheak, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior, said that the Cambodian government does not want to see these incidents. Khieu Sopheak added that the goal of the government is to turn the border into one of cooperation between the two countries.
Khieu Sopheak said: “What we want is a Cambodian border zone of cooperation.”
On Sunday, Var Kim Hong, president of the Cambodian government committee for resolution of border disputes, considered that these are minor issues, and he asked that Cambodian officials based in Preah Vihear and the Cambodian border authority resolve this issue with understanding with their Thai counterparts.
6 comments:
This is so sick to see how AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave government and AH SVAR KIMHONG handle this fucken situation! Damn! It seems that just a fucken simple border gate closed from the fucken Thaicong side and Cambodian people complaining not having anything to eat? Why the fucks AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave always have the mentality of depending on the enemy for survival? What happen to all the concept of self-sufficient!
I suggest all of your mother fucker stupid Cambodian HUN SEN officials build the fucken road straight to the heart of Preah Vihea and send truck loads of supply to the Cambodian people or do something!
AH KHIEU SOPHEAK is dreaming when he used the word "cooperation" with the fucken Thaicong because the fucken Thaicong always want full control of Preah Vihea and will always continue to play hardball with all these stupid AH HUN SEN officials for not anticipating the situation since day one!
So much for AH HUN SEN rectangle economic policy because just a simple border gate closed on the Thaicong side and Cambodian people have nothing to eat! This is to show that Cambodian people have never been benefit in anyway from AH HUN SEN economic system! It is outrageous how these mother fuckers continue to run Cambodia into the ground and let the Thaicong have the upper hand in dealing with Cambodia politically, economically, and militarily! I don’t buy any of AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave officials use the fucken excuse that Cambodia just emerge from the Cold War, Genocide, and all the fucken bullshit!
Soon or later the Thaicong will ask AH HUN SEN government straight in the face to hand Preah Vihea over and only then Cambodian people will have enough to eat?
These days the wars are being fought economically, politically, and militarily and AH HUN SEN system of government don't even understand such concept except corruption, corruption, and more corruption to make Cambodia weak as a nation! Cambodia soon will cease to become a nation and hopefully it will give raise to homegrown terrorist like the Muslim in Southern Thailane! It is time to stop depend on the Thaicong economically and move on with the concept of self-sufficient!
well said though the word are a bit rough, if Svar kim Hong doesn't know what is his role to play, then they should kick his ass out of the job.
Well, you can't say I didn't warn that this is the way things would happen...
I wish we had some Thai media reporting the events. Can you people of KI Media find some extracts from Thai newspapers or websites to confirm that they actually prevent tourists from accessing the temple?
I always like to hear both sides of the story, that helps to be more objective.. :-)
To the Observer:
You act as if this is our fault. What Cambodia wanted was Preah Vihear to become a world heritage site, but now the Thais are being warmongerers by preventing food. Lets stop altogether tourism from Thai side to visit Angkor. That would be great!
When I was crossed from Thailand to Cambodia in Apr, 2006, it didn't seem that it would be too difficult to bypass the border "gate," but perhaps things have changed.
Of course, if the Thai military didn't allow passage, it wouldn't be that easy to cross.
Someone has an update about the crossing situation ? I planed to go there this week-end... i start to be a little bit nervous. ;-) Thanks.
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